It was back in the mid 80's (while he was contributing content to NPR's All Things Considered show) that Bodett was hired by the creative director at the Richards Group ad agency to record a commercial for Motel 6. Since then, he has been the spokesperson for the chain, still ending his commercials end with the famous phrase, "I'm Tom Bodett for Motel 6, and we'll leave the light on for you." In 2005, the chain of hotels started using Bodett's voice for their wake-up calls, hoping to bring a more personal touch to people's day. Bodett was also the person to be featured on the first Motel 6 podcast, released for the holidays. At the same time, he had several other engagements on both TV and radio.
Bodett served as a host of the public television program, Travels on America's Historic Trails in 2007, and he did the voiceover for "Mime Time" and the "Good Idea/Bad Idea" segments featuring Mr. Skullhead on Animaniacs. This was followed by a brief cameo in Pinky and The Brain, as well as he narrated the 1999 direct to video Animaniacs movie Wakko's Wish. As a broadcaster, he hosted two radio programs, The End of the Road (1988-1990) and Bodett & Company (1993). While today, he serves as a contributor to The Bob Edwards Show on XMPR, and member of the stable of panelists on Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! – a National Public Radio news quiz show. A regular columnist for the webzine Mr. Showbiz, he also penned a children's book, titled Williwaw!, which was published in 2009. The same year, Tom Bodett saw the start of the Loose Leaf Book Company, a radio program that centered on author and book interviews, discussions and dramatizations.
